


every path from here forward leads to the stars

by thedarkwhiteangel



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lbscexchange, Lbscexchange2020, Luka Couffaine Loves Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Lukanette February 2020, Minor Angst, please do not post to another site
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:20:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22709119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedarkwhiteangel/pseuds/thedarkwhiteangel
Summary: Marinette runs off for some time alone after weeks of tense moments and realises she happens to be close to the Couffaine houseboat. She summons the courage to visit Luka, knowing he always makes her feel better by just being there.. . ."I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings."
Relationships: Luka Couffaine & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 15
Kudos: 126
Collections: Lovebugs and Snake Charmers





	every path from here forward leads to the stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CACTUSMAKO](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CACTUSMAKO/gifts).



> Happy Valentines Day! I wanted to post this as close to the actual holiday as possible, so it would be more like an actual gift, which is a bit dumb, but that's me! Anyway, I hope you like this short little vignette and that this was something along the lines of what you were expecting, if this isn't angsty enough though, just let me know and I'll write you up something else, I have a few other ideas that I can work with. Hope you like it! Also, definitely feel free to leave some constructive criticism. 
> 
> Also! I made this playlist of songs that fit the lukanette vibe for you to listen to as well if you're into that! :)
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP0WpUuAYUU&list=PLQVd1SRuX2q4HoKjDfdzawuZyrK7pC4e7

Marinette stood there. She just stood there and stared in horror as months of effort unraveled in front of her eyes. Marinette stood there and broke. 

She couldn't take the worried looks in her parent's eyes, she couldn't take the platitudes from her best friend, and she couldn't take the stares. So Marinette turned and ran, sick of standing there when things fell apart. 

She ran and she ran and she ran and pretty soon her gasping breaths weren't from the exertion of running for more than fifteen minutes, but from her crying for the second time that day. 

Was that all she was doomed to do? Cry? Stand aside?

Marinette panted and furiously rubbed her eyes. She was angry at herself from crying and she was angry that everything wasn't working like it should be and she was angry that she thought things would just _have_ to change all because she kept being stubborn and demanded they sort themselves out. 

Three miserable weeks of failure after failure, minor wins and major falls, flashed before her eyes and she was at least glad that she'd seemed to cry herself out of tears for the moment. Spotting the sign for one of the riverside public garden paths as seemed to glare at her, Marinette glared back, determined to take this as a blessing and walk quietly while calming down. 

Marinette reached for her phone, but her hand only smacked her leg. She stared in shock for a moment before feeling the creeping feeling of shame again. She bit her lip, refusing to cry. 

She wanted to though. She just wanted to find an empty spot and sob her eyes out and then maybe stuff herself silly with the hot chocolate and brownies the little garden convenience store sold. Except she had forgotten her wallet too. 

Just because she had forgotten all her stuff back at home _didn't_ mean she was going to fall apart. Marinette sat down on one of the cool, cement benches, letting the cold stone soothe her. 

Marinette held her breath. She kept it in for as long as she could stand and then she let it all rush out in a heady gust. 

Suddenly, she stopped. Wasn't this close to? Yes, she cut herself off, unsure.

She remembered that the Couffaines houseboat was moored somewhere around here for now. She also remembered when Luka had made her promise to come talk to him when she felt like she needed to cry and break down again. 

But she couldn't actually do that. It would be weird.

Except she'd already gotten up and started walking over to where she knew it would be. 

Marinette just kept walking, she didn't allow herself to think about it or she would just back out. She just focused on the way he'd held her and the way he'd made everything seem distant and unimportant anymore.

And soon enough, there it was. The Couffaine houseboat. 

Marinette trembled, unsteady in her vulnerability. The world kept turning though, and the breeze off the Seine was starting to chill her. Once again, Marinette bemoaned her stupidity in just rushing off without even grabbing her things.

Guitar music steadily drifted toward her and Marinette shuffled on her feet. 

She took a steadying breath, nervous from the gentle tug on her scalp of the hair ties holding her hair back to the way her pink flats squished her toes in their familiar manner. 

Marinette leaned over, balancing herself on the railing and knocking softly on the window she knew led to his room. She was grateful the boat was moored close enough that she could just tap directly on his window instead of having to get someone to lead her down to him. At least this seemed to be working out for her. Her hair blew into her face from the wind and she shifted to move it out of her face, tugging her pigtails tight again.

The guitar strumming stopped and the porthole window swung open. 

Luka looked surprised to see her, but his lips were turned up in a pleased smile, though they quickly shifted with worry when he took in her haggard, worn appearance. 

"Marinette," he said simply, reaching through the porthole to pull her in. 

She slipped in easily, turning and slipping her legs through. 

Marinette brushed down her pants, not necessary, but she shook with _something_. Luka stood waiting patiently for her to speak. 

Marinette looked at him, looked at the way his eyes crinkled at the corners while he stared at her, she looked at the way he tapped his fingers on his legs to some inaudible tune while he waited for her.

Marinette felt her eyes burn. She opened her mouth to speak, and to her embarrassment, started crying again.

Luka just swept her into a hug, waiting for her to stop sniffling before he released her.

Marinette mumbled inaudibly, standing stiff and feeling like she'd been there crying all day, all her life. Luka just tipped his head to the left a little bit and smiled softly at her, he brushed his hair out of his eyes, it was getting long again, though it looked recently died. 

"I'm sorry. Very. I'm so much sorry." Marinette spoke up, immediately regretting it. 

She was sorry, but she was also annoyed at herself for this lapse in lucidity. She wasn't even making sense anymore and here she was, throwing everything at his feet like a squatter confronted with the property's true owner just because he'd always been _kind_ to her. 

She felt so bad, so guilty, so tired. 

She felt like she was taking advantage of his kindness and she couldn't stand it. That she was exactly the type of person she despised. 

"Hey," Luka cupped her face in his hands, calling her attention, "hey."

She stared at him, annoyed at her watery eyes, but so close to breaking and sure in the knowledge that at least he was someone she could trust with this stained glass window part of herself. If she was a failure in all else, at least she had the good sense to come to him. 

"Marinette, Marinette, look at me." 

Marinette looked at him, she looked straight in his eyes and she didn't know if she wanted him to see everything as he was sure to do, or if she wanted him to somehow miss it all. 

Why had she come? Why hadn't she done what she always did?

Luka smiled wryly at her, brushing her flushed, frustrated cheeks with his calloused thumbs, and she knew he knew. Her stomach settled. 

"Marinette, you're _human_. Never apologise for feeling, never apologise for wanting support. Never apologise for being human." His eyes softened and she was weak, so weak. 

_Oh_ , _Luka_. 

She burst into tears again. 

Luka pulled her into his arms and this time she didn't resist, allowing him to guide her down so they were sitting down on his bed instead of awkwardly standing near his porthole. 

"It's okay, it's okay, let it all out." He whispered into her hair, warming her scalp, while his hands rubbed circles into her back. 

Marinette cried. 

She felt bad for dirtying his shirt with all her crying, but she could already tell she was back on the upswing. She was tired, but she knew things would work out if she just worked hard enough. She was annoyed with herself, but she knew she was allowed to feel things. And when she forgot, she had Luka to remind her. 

Almost like he knew what she was thinking, and with how good he was at reading people she didn't doubt it, he tilted her head up to him again, brushing her tears away. The gentle pressure made her eyelashes flutter.

"Life is your playground, Marinette. Let me pick up the slack, let me be the one to treat you with respect when no one else will." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and in spite of the serious moment, some part inside of her swooned. "Marinette, keep walking forward, you're _almost there_. Keep walking and one day you're going to be where you want to be, even if you can only manage half a step at a time."

Marinette sighed and closed her eyes, just resting her head in his capable hands. Her breath was still shallow from crying, but fortunately she had always been someone to cry rarely and cry for only a short amount of time. 

As it was, she'd already cried four times today and that made her a _major_ watering pot by her own standards. 

Luka idly hummed, tracing patterns into the corners of her face that he could reach in their position. 

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shrugged, or tried to at least, it was hard when she was half pressed into him as she was. Not that she minded, _at all_. 

"I've just been having a bad few weeks. Nothing in particular," Marinette answered honestly, "I'm just- I don't know. Everything's been building up." She tried shrugging again, feeling tired from all the crying she'd been doing. She didn't know why, she wasn't good with words like him.

He nodded and she followed the blue tips of his hair with her eyes, momentarily transfixed. "All the small things just sometimes become big."

She smiled shakily at him. He understood, of course he did. Luka thought he was bad with words, he thought he was verbally clumsy, but Luka was an artist, a musician, a song-writer, a _poet_. 

"I'm sorry for all these tears, all this trouble." Marinette let out her breath in one long huff of air. It ruffled his hair and they both laughed softly.

"You're still growing up." Luka said, looking her in the eyes. "We're both still growing up. This is natural, this is human, this is healthy." 

They both paused and he started humming again. It was quiet for a minute, five minutes, fifteen minutes she wasn't sure. 

"Thank you." Marinette said finally, overwhelmed with her gratitude that he was just _there_ for her.

Luka pulled her into his arms until she was entirely folded up in them and rested his head on hers. It was comforting and she sighed in content.

"Of course... Ma-Ma-Marinette. To love is not to leave." He squeezed her and she giggled softly into his shirt, curling her fists in the white cotton fabric. 

Marinette couldn't help but smile into him as he held her, endeared. 

"How about we watch the new episode of Paris Runway?" Luka grinned at her, pulling back a little bit, "I know you haven't seen it yet." 

She beamed and his grin widened. "That sounds _miraculous_."

Luka let go of her shuffling off to fetch his laptop and Marinette watched him with the knowledge that there was nowhere else in all the world she wanted to be than right here right now with him.


End file.
